by Emlyn Hall
Lunch was very dull and consisted of dry leaves and a dense dry biscuit, which Clevan assured them was full of goodness. By the time they had finished, only half the water they had brought with them remained.
"I think we will have to deviate a little from our route," said Clevan plunging the cork back into his water flask. "We are getting through the water fast. I didn't really want to, but we should track the steam for a while."
"Why wouldn't you want to track the water, surely that's the most sensible route?" queried Jack.
"I wish it were that straightforward, Jack," replied Clevan. "But we are not the only living things who develop a thirst. In these lands clean water is a precious thing which makes areas like streams dangerous places full of wild animals. We will have to be on our guard if we go that way, anything could happen."
Jack and Bafflebod looked at each other, both wearing the same nervous expression and simultaneously gulped at the same time,
"OK," said Clevan breaking the awkward silence. "Let's get going."
It took a further hour of battling through the dense foliage before the forest started to thin out and they started to descend steadily towards the stream. As they silently approached, an uneasiness fell over them all. It was as if their every move was being watched by a hundred pairs of hidden eyes.
The stream was smaller than Jack had expected. It cut its way meekly through the land and certainly did not look as clean as Clevan had suggested it would be. They transferred all of the clean water they had into two bottles and Jack quietly filled the two empty bottles with water from the grubby steam.
"The water is a little low at the moment," said Clevan, "it has been quite warm lately. It looks dirty too, probably from all of the ash which has been raining down across the land. I am sure it will be OK to drink once it has had a chance to sett?" Clevan stopped talking midsentence and held up a hand in signal to the others to stop what they were doing and stay completely still.
Jack looked up from the stream at the now frozen Clevan, whose facial expression didn't fill him with much confidence at all.
"What is it?" mouthed Jack.
Clevan swallowed hard and beads of perspiration ran freely down his weathered face. His raised hand slowly closed until a single finger remained. Clevan bent his hand forward, pointing into the treeline just behind Jack.
Jack froze with fear. There was something behind him. There was something scary behind him. Jack reached slowly to his belt and wrapped his fingers around the cold metal handle of his sword and waited, his eyes fixed on Clevan the whole time.
All of a sudden Clevan's face transformed from one of tension and panic to one of relief. He exhaled hard and signalled for Jack to come up out of the stream. Jack did just that, pushing the stoppers back into the now filled flasks.
"What was that?" whispered Jack, still visibly shaken by the ordeal.
"That, my dear boy, was a close call," said Clevan, speaking in hushed tones. "What was standing directly behind you was a?" Clevan did not have a chance to finish his sentence, a huge beast looking like an extremely muscular black lion leapt unseen from the forest, knocking Jack out of the way and landing on Clevan, driving him to the ground with terrifying force.
The beast dragged a huge paw down Clevan's body, ripping cloth and skin as it went. It pulled its gigantic head back, opening its mouth revealing a ferocious set of razor sharp teeth dripping with rancid saliva. It roared and lunged with lightning speed straight towards Clevan's helplessly exposed neck.
Clevan closed his eyes and waited for the teeth to clamp down upon him. An eerie silence fell for a moment which was broken as abruptly as it was formed by a whistling sound and a large thud. An arrow struck the beast hard in the neck, sending its falling jaws off target and into the dusty ground. A second whistle and the beast lay slain.
Clevan scrambled back up the bank and away from the dead creature, breathing heavily and bleeding from the fresh wounds which ran down his chest.
Bafflebod stood ten feet away, frozen in the pose he cast just moments ago, his bow still quivering in his left hand.
"What was that?" asked Jack, now pale white and soaked to the skin after being bundled into the stream.
"A Savveroff," replied Clevan trying hard to steady his breathing. "I am lucky to be alive, that was some fine bow work Bafflebod, you are indeed a fine archer after all! I think we should be getting along now, We have had quite enough surprises for one day."
The three of them walked back up the bank and put a little distance between them and the stream.
"I warned you that it would be dangerous near the water. We will track the water at a distance for now and only go back down if we are running low. I know of a hidden clearing a few hours walk from here, we will head for that and get some well-earned rest," said Clevan.
Into the Pen
When Dev awoke he was greeted by a thin sliver of light which cut its way into the gloomy cell through a narrow metal slit near the ceiling. The room smelled of an interesting combination of damp and stale smoke, which seeped into Dev's nostrils from the long extinguished wall torches.
Sevvin was still asleep on the other side of the cell, snoring away happily.
Dev pulled himself upright and sat with his back pressed against the slimy damp wall. This is it, he thought as he rubbed his injured arm. Keys jangled outside the door, they rattled clumsily causing Sevvin's blood red eyes to spring open.
The heavy door swung open revealing two grinning Brachanid warriors.
"Get up scum, today you are going in the pen!" blasted the Brachanid with the keys. His accomplice laughed so hard that his fat belly, which hung over his leather shorts, wobbled as he did so. "The Karkan has not been fed in weeks, it's going to chew you two right up, bones and all. Now get up and get out!" he growled.
Dev and Sevvin did as they were ordered without hesitation, it made sense to be compliant with Brachanids at all times as they looked for any excuse to be cruel and inflict pain on their enemies, it was drummed into them from an early age, especially those selected to train for the Midnight Army.
Dev and Sevvin were marched along the seemingly endless corridor which Dev had walked just the day before. The two guards taunted them and jabbed them with their swords all the way. When the pair reached the door they were greeted by thousands of Brachanids, who had turned up early to witness the grisly demise of one of the Brachanid's most hated enemies.
As Dev and Sevvin were led through the crowds towards the Karkan pen the crowds cheered with glee, throwing rotting food and stones all the while. By the time they reached the edge of the pen Dev was bleeding heavily from a head wound caused by a large sharp stone which struck him at point blank range just above his temple. Dev felt dizzy as a result and desperately tried to keep his focus; he was going to need all of his wits about him and could not afford to feel the least bit dizzy.
Sevvin had not escaped from injury either and blood ran freely from his mouth as he stepped over the two teeth a well-aimed stone had knocked free.
The crowd's frenzy and jeers began to quieten, eventually falling to complete silence. The crowds on the other side of the pen entrance began to shuffle awkwardly, then began to part. A minute or so of tense jostling for position and Siinjid appeared at the pen's edge.
"Enemies of the glorious Brachanid empire, you have been sentenced to die upon this day. Your fate awaits you below ground, it is my wish that you die in great pain and without honour. Do you have anything that you wish to say before you are cast in and from the bodies your foul souls occupy?" said Siinjid.
The crowd grew quieter still with all Brachanids listening intently, hoping that the Karkan's prey would break down and cry for mercy as most facing the same fate would. The silence was uncomfortable, both Dev and Sevvin stood proud, with eyes full of strength and defiance. Dev spoke.
"I will not call for mercy, I know that you are incapable of displaying that and I do not choose to spend the last of my air providing any of you w
ith any sense of satisfaction. While air remains in my lungs, you should fear me. I am not dead yet."
The crowd remained silent for a moment after Dev finished speaking, confused by the level of defiance and confidence in his voice. Nobody had ever shown such strength when they were about to be cast to a cruel and painful death. Siinjid was annoyed by his enemy, his blood boiled and his eyes glowed with hatred.
"Cast them to their deaths!" he screamed and retreated to view the spectacle underground. Those deemed worthy enough to join the leader of the Midnight Army hurriedly fought their way through the crowds and took up their places at the subterranean windows.
The guards moved Dev and Sevvin into position at the edge of the pen's entrance, the tips of their swords placed snuggly into the smalls of their prisoners' backs. Dev looked down. The entrance to the pen was a large hole in the ground, it was usually covered by two semi-circular wooden doors which were now resting open and either side. The bottom of the pit was about twenty feet away and glowed orange from the bright flaming torches which has been placed into the adjacent tunnel to illuminate the macabre action for the spectators below. It was time.
The Brachanid guards nodded to each other and shoved both Sevvin and Dev over the edge. Dev landed well, he bent his knees and rolled rising quickly to his feet. Sevvin was not so lucky and like so many before him landed awkwardly and the sharp snapping sound of his upper left arm was welcomed by the crowd above and the hundreds of delighted faces pressed against the windows below.
Sevvin cursed his luck, grimaced in pain and rose gingerly to his feet. Dev and Sevvin scanned the large corridor within which they now stood. The Karkan was not in the corridor.
Brachanids beat against the windows, pushing each other in attempts to gain the best view point. Siinjid sat in a large chair with an even larger window all to himself halfway down the long corridor. At the far end was a giant wooden door. The sound of heavy chains being slowly pulled began to emanate from behind it. The door started to rise and a warm rancid breeze seeped from below filling the corridor and making Dev retch. The door continued to rise.
A tremendous screeching roar erupted, the Karkan had caught scent of it meal. The door continued to rise. Tentacles rolled out from the growing gap and thrashed around, sweeping the air for food. The door continued to rise. Another roar, the door opened fully and the Karkan strode out of the shadows and into full view. Dev froze for a moment in fear, Sevvin's description had fallen someway short of just how terrifying a creature it really was. Its saucer-sized eyes spotted its prey and great bucketfuls of slime ran out of its horrific looking mouth. It was hungry. Its six legs sprang into action and it began to move with real purpose down the corridor towards Dev and Sevvin.
"Now!" shouted Dev and the pair of them ran down each edge of the corridor as fast as they could straight towards the foul beast, screaming and waving their arms violently. Dev clinging to the left, Sevvin to the right. The Karkan stopped in its tracks, it was confused. It had never experienced food like this. Dev and Sevvin ran straight past the creature, Sevvin slowed and took up a position behind it, Dev carried on even faster disappearing into the room from which the Karkan had arrived from just moments before.
The Brachanids watching from their windows fell silent, Siinjid stood up. This was not how things usually happened.
The Karkan seemed to snap out of its confused state and turned, determined to have its meal. Sevvin clung on to the back of its hairy swollen abdomen, swinging around as the beast changed direction, which was easier said than done with one badly broken arm. The Karkan noticed the unwanted passenger and turned again, then again and again. The spinning became faster and faster as the creature became increasingly frustrated and determined to shake off its meal. Sevvin clang on for dear life. A change of tack and the creature began thrusting its abdomen into the walls and ceiling, all the while Sevvin clung on in sheer defiance.
A huge thrust and a window in the corridor shattered, the Karkan turned sharply at the new noise and thrust its tentacles through the hole pulling two Brachanids into the tunnel. It pulled one up to its jaws and bit it in half with minimum effort, the other Brachanid passed out in fear shortly before it too met the same brutal fate. The Karkan sat still for a moment and began to slowly eat the two halves of Brachanid it still held in its tentacles. Sevvin needed no second invitation and silently slipped off of the Karkan back and run up the tunnel towards the gate, disappearing into the black beyond.
Siinjid's eyes burned with rage, he drew his huge black jagged sword, let out a terrifying battle cry, swung at the window with all his strength and arrived in the corridor in a shower of glass. The Karkan turned to face him, dropping the bloody remains of its meal and lunging towards Siinjid. Siinjid leapt high into the air, sword held behind his head. As the tentacles reached him, Siinjid brought the sword down with amazing force, it struck the Karkan's head and sank straight through, coming out of the bottom of its mouth. The Karkan fell lifeless to the floor.
Siinjid flicked the blue blood from the blade, turned and ran down the corridor and into the room the prisoners had fled to.
They had gone.
The battle in the night
Clevan, Jack and Bafflebod reached the clearing in the early evening and began to settle in for the night. The ash from above had all but finished raining and the sweet fragrances of the forest were beginning to return, as was Jack's sense of smell. Since he jumped back to this world, Jack had not stopped blowing his nose. In truth he had never really seen the value of the handkerchief that his dad had always insisted that he carried. But the black ash he had constantly been inhaling had to come out somehow and the nose was as good a place as any. The handkerchief was completely black and disgusting.
Following Clevan's instructions, Bafflebod dug a deep pit and filled the bottom with as many dry sticks as he could find and Clevan took a bow and one arrow, and ventured off alone into the forest to find them all something to eat.
"How far away are we?" asked Jack arranging blackened fallen leaves of the ground in the shape of three beds.
"I am not sure, but I think we have one more full day of walking ahead," replied Bafflebod.
"Are you scared?" asked Jack.
"No," replied Bafflebod abruptly. "I miss my father; I am scared about what is happening to him I guess. But as for me, I'm not in the least bit scared. Are you?"
"I am terrified," replied Jack with a nervous smile. "I have a constant knot in my stomach and waves of butterflies that make me feel quite giddy at times. But I think I actually like being terrified which is strange."
"What are butterflies?" asked Bafflebod.
"They are little creatures with large wings, they are very pretty," replied Jack.
"And you have waves of them inside of you?" asked Bafflebod who had stopped what he was doing and now looked very perplexed. "Do all humans have them?"
Jack began to laugh, a little at first but before long he was rolling around on the leaf beds he had created in a fit of hysteria with tears streaming down his face. He paused and pulled himself to his knees and faced the extremely confuse Bafflebod.
"It's just a saying on my planet. I guess it's because the wings are so light and ticklish that it kind of feels like lots of them are in you and tickling whenever you feel nervous," said Jack.
Bafflebod's serious expression broke and he grinned at Jack. "I see. We have similar things on this world too," he said.
"Give me an example," said Jack wiping the tears out of his eyes.
"Let me think," said Bafflebod. "Oh, I have one similar to yours. When we are shocked or surprised we often say that it feels like our brains have a Gondrak in them." With that Bafflebod immediately began chuckling to himself. Jack's smile evaporated as a confused glaze grew across his face.
"What does that mean?" asked Jack.
"Gondraks!" exclaimed Bafflebod. Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Never heard of them," said Jack.
"They are probably
a little like your butterflies, but they have a nasty little sting which makes you feel icy cold," said Bafflebod.
"Ah," said Jack bluntly. "It's not overly catchy, is it? I think I prefer ours." The pair of them laughed and continued with their work.
Clevan returned as the sun was almost gone to find Jack and Bafflebod laying on the leaf beds and sharing stories of their respective worlds.
"Come on you lazy pair, I'm hungry, let's eat," said Clevan.
Clevan had caught six little animals which Jack thought looked a little like fat squirrels. Clevan cleaned them up and skinned them. He placed them on wooden skewers and wedged them across the hole which Bafflebod had dug. Clevan reached into his pocket and pulled out a little pouch which contained what the Zephods called 'firestones'. A couple of strikes later and the small bed of dry grass in the palm of Clevan's hand was on fire. He dropped this to the bottom of the hole and set about covering their newly created oven with branches and leaves to slow down and disperse the smoke which readily rose up.
Thirty minutes passed and Clevan reopened the hole retrieving the skewers of perfectly cooked meat. As he sat and ate, Jack could not recall a tastier meal that he had ever eaten. The three of them ate happily and drank the remaining fresh water, Clevan decanted the stream water into the empty flasks and the three of them settled down to sleep.
"I will take first watch," said Clevan. "You two look exhausted."
"Thank you, I am," said Jack yawning. "I will take the second watch." With that, he rolled over and instantly fell asleep.
The blackness cleared in Jack's head and he was standing on the top of a really high mountain. Jack's dad was a few metres away, precariously reaching for something unseen over the edge of a pathway.
"Dad!" screamed Jack. "Come away from the edge, you will fall!" His dad continued to reach out, not acknowledging Jack's calls. Stones beneath his feet crumbled and fell as he shuffled forwards. Jack tried to walk closer, but it was impossible, no matter how hard he tried to run, his legs would not touch the ground. His father reached a little too far and tumbled over the edge, letting out a fearful shout as he disappeared from Jack's view. Jack screamed, his feet grabbed the floor hard and he ran to the cliffs edge and over, following his dad down. He tried to run but the steep drop was too sheer and his legs soon gave way sending him tumbling head over heels.
